


Mikaelson Charters

by YouShouldntBeReal2



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Captain Hope, F/F, Writer Josie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:34:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26856766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouShouldntBeReal2/pseuds/YouShouldntBeReal2
Summary: Hope is the Captain of a yacht in the family's Charter company. On this particular trip, a passenger named Josie catches her eye.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 17
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

Hope greets her staff as she heads in for the next 3-day charter trip. The little storefront sits overlooking the harbor and the three Mikaelson family sightseeing yachts. Hope is slowly learning to take over the family business while still enjoying the occasional opportunities to captain the sightseeing excursions. 

Hope collects the booking paperwork for the upcoming trip and heads into her office. The trip would be pretty straight forward, a group of 4 early twenty-somethings looking to see some marine life and enjoy the water. Hope loses herself in double checking details, when Landon knocks on the door frame to her office.  
“Heya boss lady, are you about ready for this trip? I have the boat stocked with all the essentials, and I had the guys make sure everything was spotless, per your request.”  
“Yeah, Landon. I’ll meet you down at the dock in a few and we can go over the pre-sail check. Oh, wait did you pick up the vegetarian food options for this passenger?” Hope points out the selected dietary option on the passenger questionnaire for Josie Saltzman.  
“Yupp, it's all there.”  
Hope nods and Landon quietly leaves. 

Hope grabs her Captain’s hat from the shelf and slings her duffle over her shoulder. She says a quick goodbye to her staff and reminds them to reach out to Freya if there were any problems while she is gone. Her aunt still runs the business side of the company, while guiding and teaching Hope to take over fully one day. 

Auburn hair shines in the sunlight as Hope walks down the dock to the Eviligo. The Eviligo is by far her favorite of the 3 yachts in her fleet. Hope had a special hand in the design of the ship. She had input in every step of the build and got to name her. First mate Landon was chatting with their chef for the trip Maya. This is Hope’s ideal crew for a trip. She gets along okay with the other crewmates in the company but this is the dream team. Landon is always on top of everything and a very hard worker. His goal is to be the next Captain when the newly announced future ship in the fleet arrives in a year. Maya is pretty laid back and strives to make the guests happy and satisfied with their meals. Probably somewhere below deck are the twins, Riley and Avery. They manage the passengers and the deck responsibilities flawlessly. There is also Rafael who is the best engineer in the company as well as Landon’s brother. Hope begins pre-voyage checks with the crew while Maya heads to the galley to prepare a late lunch for the soon to arrive passengers. 

At 12:45 on the dot, the office alerts Hope and the crew via walkie talkie that the passengers are on their way down the dock. Everyone gathers on the dock next to Eviligo.

“Welcome to Mikaelson Charters. My name is Hope and I will be your Captain for this trip. We will be sailing on Eviligo, a 60ft luxury yacht. This is Landon, my first officer. Maya here is our chef. Riley maintains the outdoor areas and deck activities, while Avery handles the indoor activities. Please see them with any issues. Raf is the engineer onboard.” Hope smiles at the group.  
“Hello! I’m Lizzie and this is my sister Josie.” Josie raises a hand and waves. “The guys are MG and Kaleb.”  
“Nice to meet you all. Riley and Avery will take your luggage down to the bedrooms while we go over rules and safety. Watch your step while climbing aboard.” Landon goes to grab life vests from the storage area for the safety demonstration. Captain Hope notices Josie staring at her while she dismisses Maya and Raf to prepare for departure. Josie blushes and turns away when Hope makes eye contact. Hope will never admit it, but she thinks the tall brunette is beautiful. It would be highly unprofessional to become interested in a passenger on her ship. Landon returns and hands out life vests and checks they fit everyone appropriately. Hope listens to his animated description of what to do if someone is in the water with a shark or if we get caught in a surprise storm. It's supposed to be clear and calm in terms of weather over the 3 days, so Hope is not too worried about a storm. Landon finally finishes his demonstration, with the tall blonde Lizzie looking bored and over it. MG and Kaleb are still laughing at Landon’s crazy impersonation of a shark flopping on the deck, all the while Josie tries to catch a glimpse of Captain Hope from her position behind Landon. 

Hope adjusts her captains hat and steps up next to Landon. “Thank you for your always energetic explanations Officer Landon. Everyone, I have a few more things to go over before we can leave the marina.” Hope pauses, making sure they are all paying attention. “Please listen to the crew when they tell you to do something, or not to do something. It is our job to make sure you all have a great time but safely. If you have any concerns please see a crew member. If you need to speak to me for any reason, ask a crew member and they will walkie me to meet with you. Feel free to explore the boat, but I do ask that you all stay seated while we exit the marina and harbor.”  
“Thank you Captain Hope, we will behave, I promise.” Josie smiles brightly at Hope. Lizzie rolls her eyes at her sister, knowing she has been enamored by the auburn Captain since they got here.  
Hope smirks at the sisters,“If you will all excuse me, I must head up to the bridge so we can depart.”  
About 10 minutes later Captain Hope announces over the intercom for everyone to be seated. The passengers situate themselves on the deck at the front of the boat. They were talking animatedly about all the activities they get to do over the 3 days.  
When the yacht made it safely out of the harbor, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. “Passengers please make your way to the rear deck of the ship as a late lunch will be served in a few moments.” Maya hangs up the receiver and grabs the tray with the plates. Riley follows with the tray of drinks. 

The group arrives and sits down, looking eagerly at the food placed before them. “Today’s lunch is shrimp risotto with a side of baked asparagus with lemon. For our vegetarian option, we have mushroom risotto. There are refreshing peach bellini’s for you to enjoy as well. If you need anything please let Riley here know.”  
Maya turns and descends back down into the kitchen. Kaleb and MG dig right into the food, while the girls sip their drinks.  
“This is so good. I need to learn how to make this.” MG says with his mouthful.  
“Yeah right, I can’t picture you cooking anything.” Lizzie scoffs.  
Josie is barely listening to the conversation at the table. Her attention is focused on the Captain descending the stairs from the bridge. She had never seen anyone as beautiful as Hope. She doesn't want to seem creepy staring at the auburn haired woman, but Josie also feels like she wants to learn everything about Hope.  
Initially Josie wasn't too thrilled to come on this trip, having a history of sea sickness. She now was happy that Lizzie didn't give her a choice in the matter. 

Captain Hope approaches the table and smiles at the group. “How is everything so far?” Hope looks directly at Josie while speaking. Josie meets her gaze and blushes ever so slightly.  
“This food is amazing, and the crew have been so kind and helpful. Thank you.” Lizzie, MG, and Kaleb nod in agreement with Josie.  
“I'm glad you are all having a good time. I’ll check in with everyone again later today. We have about 2.5 hours until we get to our island Wolf’s Bay.”  
“Can’t wait, I really want to snorkel!” MG announces with Lizzie and Kaleb nodding enthusiastically.  
“It will be nice to read a book while relaxing on the beach.” Josie adds. Everyone else at the table groans.  
“That doesn't sound fun sis, you should come snorkeling with us.”  
“I will think about it.” Josie concedes, knowing she most likely won’t get her way. Hope looks between the sisters clearly amused by the minor disagreement. “Reading a book on the beach sounds great, but I will tell you the reef around Wolf’s Bay is beautiful. I’m sure there will be time to do both.” Hope smirks at Josie causing her to turn bright red. Hope just giggles at the brunette's reaction and turns to leave to the kitchen to get her own lunch.  
“Hey guys, I think Jo has a little bit of a crush on Captain Hope.” Lizzie says not at all quietly.  
“Lizzie! I do not! I literally just met her an hour ago.” Josie grumbles.  
“Mhm… if you say so. She seems nice, maybe you should try to get to know her while we are on this trip.” Lizzie gently elbows her twin in the arm.  
“How would I do that? She’s the Captain, and will probably spend most of the time up there.” Nodding up toward the bridge.  
“I’m sure we could come up with something to get you to be able to spend time with her.” Lizzie says with a mischievous tone.  
“Lizzie, no. She is working. I don’t want to be a distraction. Just leave it alone.” Josie begs. “I just want to relax, please.”  
“Fine. Way to ruin my fun.” Lizzie teases.

“Hey Captain, here’s lunch.” Maya hands the plate off to Hope who seems lost in thought.  
“Thanks M.” She sighs at the wonderful flavor of the mushroom risotto.  
“You seem to have something on your mind Hope, you aren't normally this quiet during lunch.” Maya and Hope have been friends for quite a few years, spending time together on and off the ship. She can tell Hope wants to talk about something.  
“What do you think of these passengers so far?”  
“They seem polite and a lot quieter than some of our previous charters. Why do you ask?”  
“No reason.”  
“Uh huh.”

A few moments later Riley arrives requesting more peach bellini’s for the group. She sits down at the table next to Hope while waiting for Maya to mix up a new batch.  
“Hey Cap, you will never guess what I just overheard!”  
“What did you hear Riles?” Hope responds and Maya turns around to listen to this story.  
“The blonde, Lizzie practically yelled that her sister maybe has a small crush on you.”  
It clicks in Maya’s head that Josie is probably who Hope seems distracted by. “That brunette Josie is totally your type Hope. Maybe you should ask her out.”  
“You know I won’t do that. It's very unprofessional, I have a company to run and I can’t tarnish the reputation we built these last few years. Even IF I might be interested, I can not consider it.” Hope frowns.  
“What if she asks you out? Would you say no?” Riley implores.  
Hope thinks for a moment, “I guess I could say yes. But there is no way it’s going to happen.”  
“If you say so.” Maya hands off the tray of drinks and Riley leaves shaking her head at Hope.  
“You know we just want to see you happy Hope.” Maya gives her a small smile as Hope gets up to return to the helm. “Yeah, I know M. Thanks.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Private island shenanigans.

Hope guides Eviligo to the dock on Wolf’s Bay and Landon gets the anchor set. 

“Passengers, we have arrived at Wolf's Bay. This private island boasts beautiful white sand beaches, with a gorgeous coral reef to the south. The crew will escort you to the villas on that side of the island. Please dispose of all trash in the proper receptacles. Also, respect the wildlife in and around the island. There is a beach bonfire scheduled for dusk. Thank you, and enjoy yourselves.” Hope hangs up the intercom and descends the stairs. 

She turns the corner and runs right into Josie. Hope ends up falling backwards, landing on her butt.  
“Oh no! I am so sorry! Here let me help you!” Josie drops her stuff and reaches down. Hope looks up at the brunette and starts giggling. Josie is as red as a tomato and her brow is furrowed creating cute worry lines.  
“Are you okay? What’s so funny?” Hope reaches out, grabbing Josie’s hand for assistance in standing up. 

“I’m fine really. The worried look on your face is adorable though. I didn’t consider the danger of running right into someone like this when I designed this ship.” Hope didn’t think Josie could get any redder from embarrassment, but she was wrong. 

“You designed this yacht?” Josie is intrigued.  
“I didn’t know that Captains got to do that.”  
“They don’t usually. But when your last name also happens to be the name of the business, you get special privileges.”  
“You are a Mikaelson?”  
“Yes, I am.”  
“So you run this whole operation?” Josie looks a bit awe struck.  
“Not yet. I’m learning how to run the family business. I prefer this side of it all though, I would much rather be out on the water than in an office doing paperwork.” 

“That’s so cool though. The idea of a young female Captain running her own business would make for a really great book.” Josie catches herself before she goes on a tangent. “Sorry, I am a writer and I get inspiration from the people I meet.” 

“Hey, no worries. I enjoy what I do.” 

“Um, I don’t want to impose, if you don’t have time, but could we maybe talk more. I want to hear your story, if you don’t mind it possibly ending up in a book someday. With different names and some details changed of course.”

“I have some things to do now, but I will make some time to meet with you before the trip is over. How does that sound?” Hope smiles brightly at the thought of spending some time with Josie.  
“I appreciate it. Thank you Captain Hope.”  
“Your welcome. Now go find your friends and enjoy the island.”  
“I’m going. Bye Captain.”  
Hope smirks at the formality, “You can just call me Hope. I mean, if you want.”

“Alright, Hope.” Josie smiles and walks to the dock.  
Hope realizes her hat is no longer on her head and looks around. She leans over the railing and sees it floating in the water. “Urgh, Landon grab the hook and meet me on the deck below the stairs.” Hope grumbles into the walkie talkie.

“Sure, Cap. Be there in a minute. Did you lose your hat again?” Hope can hear the amusement in his voice.  
“I told you not to mention how often this happens Lan.”

______________________________________________

With all the passengers and most of the crew off the yacht, Hope uses her downtime to shower and nap. A little over an hour into her nap, the walkie talkie beeps and Landon can be heard talking. Hope groans and reaches over to grab it off the nightstand. "Say again Lan." 

"Cap, we got an injury and I'd feel better if you took a look. You are better at the first aid stuff than I am."  
"You and I took the same first aid classes. Landon, you really can't handle this?" Hope lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't like blood and she's asking for you anyways."  
"Wait, who is it?"  
"Josie."  
Hope jumps up out of her bed with a worried look on her face.  
"Can she walk here or should I come there?" Hope grabs the first aid bag from the cupboard and slips her sandals on.

"Josie said she's fine to walk back. Meet you on the lower deck in a couple minutes Captain."

Josie walks down the dock with her shirt wrapped around her wrist, a bit of blood seeping through the layers of fabric. Landon carefully helps her aboard and Hope dismisses him back to his lifeguard duty at the beach.

Josie avoids eye contact with Hope when she sits down, cradling her left arm. “Sorry to bother you Hope, this is embarrassing.” 

Hope smiles sincerely, “It's not a big deal really. What happened?” The auburn haired girl reaches out and carefully unwraps the injured arm of the brunette. There were faint bruises surrounding a jagged 5 inch wound on the outside of her arm just below her wrist area extending down along her forearm. It isn’t bleeding too badly but would probably need some butterfly closures to keep it closed. Hope places Josie’s arm over a basin, irrigates the wound with sterile saline and checks to see if there is any debris in the cut.

“We were messing around in the shallows, and I lost my footing. I didn’t realize how close to the reef we were. I tried bracing my fall and there was a bit of sharp coral that cut my arm.” Josie winces from the slight burn of the peroxide that Hope dabs the wound with. Hope applies a few butterfly closures and places a large gauze pad over the area. 

“Accidents happen. The good news is that it doesn't need stitches. You will probably want to keep these closures on for a few days to make sure it doesn't leave a large scar. They should be changed if they get wet to prevent infection.” Josie nods her head in understanding but still avoids eye contact. 

Hope doesn't immediately let go of Josie’s hand when she's done with the bandages. “Besides the obvious injury, are you okay?” Hope can tell something else is bugging the brunette.  
“Yes... no... I don’t know. I don’t want to bother you with my issues.”

“I have been told I am a good listener, I am willing to lend an ear if you need to talk.” Hope squeezes Josie’s hand to reassure her. Josie stares down at her and Hope’s hands. She blushes slightly and finally looks directly at Hope. Josie smiles, realizing that Hope isn’t going anywhere she decides to speak her mind.

“Lizzie decided to drag me on this trip because she thought I was still sad about the breakup with my ex. I wasn’t sad about the breakup, I was very focused on writing my next novel that I barely left my apartment. Even though I told Lizzie that I was fine she still insisted that I come.” Josie pauses and sighes. Hope just waits for Josie to continue, not willing to interrupt the brunettes train of thought. 

“I am afraid that if I stop writing for too long that I will lose the momentum I had and the novel won’t get finished in time for the deadline. I also have been known to get seasick, and I didn’t want that to happen either. It's so hard to get her to even consider that I am fine because I am not as outgoing as her. We are very different people. I love her, but it's tough being her sister sometimes. Just before at the beach, she wouldn’t leave me be. I was relaxing in the sun, brainstorming ideas for my novel and she kept teasing me about this new crush I may have.” Josie's eyes go wide as saucers and she stops talking. She was on such a tangent that she forgot who she was telling this all to. Josie did not mean to tell Hope she has a crush, at least she didn’t mention that it was Hope herself.  
Hope smirks at the panicked look on Josie’s face. “That sister of yours sounds kinda bossy but at the same time I can see she's looking out for you.”

“Yes to both of those. I just wish she would respect my boundaries, ya know?”  
Hope has quite a few questions for Josie, “Yeah, I get that. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you and your ex break up?” Hope couldn’t help but be interested.  
Josie shrugs, “I don’t mind you asking. It’s not a thrilling story, Penelope and I were together for a little over a year when we both realized we weren’t happy. We loved each other but weren’t the right fit long term. It was mutual, no heartbreak on anyone’s part.”  
“That sounds like the most mature breakup i've heard of.” Hope was still deciding whether to ask about Josie’s new crush, although she was starting to have a feeling she knows who it is.

A peaceful silence fell, and the women were enjoying the others' presence.  
“Hope?”  
Hope looks at Josie who has a big smile on her face. “Yes?”  
“Thanks for this. All of it, this trip has been wonderful so far. Even though I got hurt, you patched me up and listened to me vent. I really appreciate everything. I also realized I like spending time with you.” 

“To be honest, I really like spending time with you too.” Hope really wants to kiss the brunette but she doesn’t make any move. She can’t risk everything she’s worked so hard for. She tells herself, only if Josie makes the first move will she give in. “It’s almost sunset, do you want to go back to your friends?"

“No. Would I be bothering you if I stayed here?”  
“Not at all. I was thinking though, this island has a great spot to watch the sunset. I love going up there when I get the chance, would you want to go see it?”  
“I’d love to. Do I have a minute to go throw something over my swimsuit? It’s getting kind of chilly.” Hope realizes that Josie has been sitting there in her red bikini this whole time. She swallows and clears her throat.

“I.. Uh.. yeah. Go ahead. I will meet you back here in a few, I have to put away the medical supplies.” Hope stammers, sneaking a glance at Josie’s half naked body.

“Alright, I will be right back.”Josie winks at the auburn haired girl and adds an extra swing to her hips as she heads to the stairs. The brunette saw Hope’s reaction when she pointed out her scantily clad body.  
Hope also uses this time to radio the others, updating them on Josie’s wound and that they would be back for the bonfire.

_____________________________________________

Hope guides Josie up the path to the small hill on the west side of the island. She lays out a blanket in the grass at the top. Josie watches Hope with amusement as she smooths out all the corners. Hope looks to Josie when she's done and pats the spot next to her, for Josie to sit. 

“I hope this is okay. I can’t sit right in the grass, thanks to allergies.” Hope feels nervous and looks over to see Josie watching her. Although not her intention, this has begun to look like a romantic date scene she's only seen in movies. She didn’t mean for it to turn out this way but she can’t help but enjoy the moment. 

“I'm not a fan of sitting right in the grass, even without allergies, Hope.This is quite alright.” Josie smiles at Hope.  
The sun is at the point where it's just at the horizon line and the sky is a mixture of pinks and oranges. The clouds are a bright white contrast to the array of color.  
Hope is leaning back on her elbows, her Captain’s shirt hanging off her shoulders, the tank top underneath clinging to her toned stomach. She watches the sky change as the minutes pass. “Isn’t it beautiful, Josie?” Josie hums in agreeance, but Hope realizes Josie isn’t looking at the sunset. She was looking at her.  
“What are you looking at? The sunset is out there.” Hope points haphazardly to the horizon.  
“Someone beautiful.”

Hope blushes, she's at a loss for words in the moment. Josie lays down on her side, propped up on her elbow facing Hope. Josie reaches her injured arm up and gently cups Hope's cheek. She leans in until their foreheads are touching. “Is this okay?” Josie says at barely a whisper. Hope responds by capturing the brunette's lips with her own.

Josie deepens the kiss, feeling like she is on cloud 9. It's new and exciting, almost electric even. They only break apart when air becomes a necessity. Josie moves to rest her head in the crook of Hope’s neck and carefully puts her arm around the auburn haired woman’s waist. Hope is the first to break the peace that had settled around them.

“From the moment I saw you, you took my breath away. You are gorgeous Jo.” Hope rubs small circles on the brunette's hand as she speaks.  
Josie buries her face further into Hope’s neck to hide her blush. She mumbles something that Hope doesn’t catch.

“I can’t hear you Jo, as much as I am enjoying the fact that you are a cuddle bear, I’d like to hear what you are saying.” Hope giggles.  
Josie adjusts herself just enough to allow Hope to hear her. “Would you maybe want to go on a date with me? Like after this trip?”  
“I’d love to.” Hope sighs contentedly as the sun disappears below the horizon completely.


	3. Chapter 3

Maya's voice comes over the radio not too long after the sun has set.  
"Hey Captain, you around?"  
Hope unclips the walkie from her belt loop as Josie moves to sit up.  
"Yeah Maya, what's going on?"  
"Just wondering if you and that cute brunette will be joining us at the bonfire anytime soon? Or do you want to keep her all to yourself?" Maya has a tone of amusement in her voice.  
Hope rolls her eyes and groans. "Maya, please! Did you have to say that over the radio?"  
"Sorry Cap. I kinda did have to. It was Lizzie's idea actually. She has some more ideas on how to get you and Josie to spend more time together."  
Josie looks both amused and annoyed. "Seems like your chef and my sister have the same idea."  
"Yeah, Maya is my best friend and she likes to meddle in my love life." Hope sighs, debating on how to respond to Maya.  
"Is it against the rules if I say something into the radio?" Josie holds out her free hand, the other holding Hope's hand in her lap.  
"I make the rules around here so I guess it's okay." Hope's face lights up with a goofy smile when Josie leans over and places a kiss on her cheek. She takes the radio, "Hi Maya, it's Josie. Can you tell my dear sister Lizzie that I am capable of handling things myself? We know you both mean well, but please stop meddling."  
"Oh, uh, yeah. She hears you. She says she's sorry." Maya and Lizzie are surprised to hear Josie's voice on the radio.  
"Okay good. Now that that's settled, see you all in a few minutes."  
Hope sits there smirking at how sassy the brunette became. Josie hands Hope back the radio and she leans forward and kisses the auburn haired woman. Hope hums into the kiss.  
"Just so you know, when we go back I have to be professional. I run things around here and I need the crew's respect while on the job." Hope wishes they didn't have to leave this bubble yet.  
"I know. We have all the time in the world after this trip. If you still want to go on that date." Josie searches Hope's face for any sign of hesitation.  
"I can't wait to go on a date with you."  
Josie kisses Hope once more as she helps the Captain button her uniform top. 

The walk to the south side of the island doesn't take very long. They reach the bonfire area, and Josie heads to the chairs situated around the fire pit. Hope heads to the crew sitting area by the cabanas.  
Lizzie doesn’t so much as say hello or ask about Josie’s arm before barraging the brunette with a million questions about her time with Hope.  
“What happened with Hope? Why were you gone so long? Did you ask her out? Come on Josie, you have got to tell me!” Lizzie is staring a hole into the side of Josie’s head as she takes her time grabbing a marshmallow from the bag. Josie decides to ignore her, if only to see how annoyed she becomes. The guys opt to not say much either. Josie makes a s’more and Lizzie gets antsier by the moment.  
“Josie, you can’t possibly ignore me forever. Just tell me what happened.” The blonde huffs and kicks around sand with her foot as if she is a toddler.  
Josie finally looks directly at her sister. “Lizzie, can’t I just have this one thing to myself, at least for a little while? I will tell you when I am ready. Let’s just enjoy this mini vacation right now.”  
“But...” Lizzie protests with a whine  
“No Lizzie. If you don’t drop it, I won’t talk to you at all for the rest of the trip.”  
Lizzie slouches back in her chair and grumbles.“Fine. I will stop. For now.”  
“Thank you.”  
The group chills by the fire for a few hours chatting about the trip so far and the whale watching planned for the next day. It is a nice calm end to the very eventful day for Josie.

Hope enters the cabana and dismisses Landon to go sleep for a few hours before he takes the night shift. She then takes a seat next to Maya, trying to avoid all the staring from her crew. “Are you all going to stare at me until I say something?”  
Maya, Riley and Avery all nod, and Maya practically squeals, “What happened with Josie? Give us all the details!”  
“No, I will not. You are all acting like a group of gossiping teenagers. You better remember that I am still the boss, even though we are friends.” Hope tries to be serious and bosslike but she has a smile on her face as she speaks.  
“Uh huh. But like let’s talk as friends for a minute. Please give us something.” Maya insists.  
“Fine. Josie did ask me out. But that's literally all I am going to give up.”  
Maya jumps up and claps. “Yes! I had a feeling she would. You said yes, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Oooo. I have the best idea.”  
“What do you mean you have an idea? I believe Josie pretty clearly told you not to meddle.”  
“I know she did. But I don’t think this idea wouldn’t necessarily be meddling.”  
“What is it then?” Hope glances suspiciously at her best friend.  
“Sorry I can’t tell you.” Maya smirks.  
“Maya.” Hope warns.  
“I promise it's a good idea. You just have to trust me.”  
Hope just grumbles in response, knowing her best friend would not let this go.

It’s right before midnight when the passengers decide they want to head back to go to bed. Riley and Avery clean everything up and put out the fire. Maya and Hope escort the group back to the yacht. Josie hangs back to walk with Hope.  
“Hey, how was the fire?” Maya asks  
“It was nice, thank you. I was actually wondering if I could speak with Captain Hope for a moment.”  
Maya nods and winks at her best friend before jogging ahead to meet up with the other passengers.  
“Hey you.” Hope slows her pace to make the walk back last just a bit longer.  
“Hey. How are you?” Josie’s hand brushes against Hope’s as they walk.  
“I’m good. What about you?”  
“Good, but definitely tired.” Hope yawns almost to prove her point.  
“Oh yeah, me too. Today felt so long.” Josie fingers interlace themselves with Hope’s.  
“It has, but I am not complaining.”  
“Me either.”  
Hope can see Josie smiling as they reach the dock, the moonlight perfectly highlighting her features.  
“You should get some sleep. It will be an early day tomorrow.” Hope tucks a loose hair behind Josie’s ear.  
“Yes Captain.” Josie giggles and places a quick kiss on Hope’s lips.  
They separate heading to their respective bunks for the night. 

The next day Hope was up at the helm before sunrise. She expertly guides the yacht away from Wolf’s Bay and into the open ocean. The goal was to get to the whale watching spot before 9 am. The best chance to see the whales was mid to late morning.  
Breakfast was set for 8 am, so she didn’t expect to see anyone on deck until around then. Hope enjoys the quiet mornings when she can relax with the fresh sea breeze and light music. She reflects on the whirlwind of the last 24 hours. She didn’t expect anything that had happened during that time, but also did not regret it.  
Around 7:15, Hope hears someone coming up the steps to the bridge. She isn’t expecting Landon to take over until after they arrive at their destination.  
She swivels her chair around carefully to see Josie lightly knocking on the doorframe.  
“Good morning Jo. You can come in, just don’t touch anything please.” Hope is pleasantly surprised at the brunette showing up.  
“Morning. I hope it's okay that I am here. Maya said it is okay but Landon said non crew aren’t usually allowed in here.”  
“Landon is correct and Maya knows this. She said she had an idea involving you and I last night, even though I reminded her you said to stop meddling. I will tell you though, I certainly don’t mind that you are here. It’s a nice change of pace actually.” Hope smiles but focuses on the horizon. She can’t take her eyes off the water ahead of her for too long, she doesn’t need any accidents happening under her watch.  
“I don’t want to break the rules and get you in trouble by being here. I just wanted to say good morning.”  
“It’s fine Josie really. They are my rules anyway. I can break them once in a blue moon. Perks of being the boss. To be honest, I am usually so serious about being Captain and the responsibilities that come with it, but you make me want to relax a bit. Is that weird? I mean I only met you yesterday.” Hope watches Josie in her periphery as she sits in the seat next to her.  
“It’s not weird. It is pretty interesting, actually.” Josie pauses. “For me it's like a magnet effect, I have been drawn to you since I got here. That is very odd for me personally, I take forever to warm up to anyone.”  
“I feel that too.”  
“It seems like we are in the same boat then.” Josie smiles  
“Well yeah, that boat happens to be a 60ft yacht named Eviligo.” Hope laughs.  
“Haha, dork. You know that’s not what I meant.”  
“I know.”  
Maya comes over the loudspeaker letting them know it's time for breakfast to be served for the passengers.  
Josie stands to leave, but Hope reaches for her hand. She places a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. “Good morning Jo. Have a good breakfast.”

Captain Hope reaches the coordinates for the whale watching spot and has Landon drop the anchor. She scans the water for any sight of whales. After about 15 minutes of no sightings, in the distance she sees the telltale spout of water and air coming out of a humpback’s blowhole. Hope picks up the receiver for the loudspeaker. “Passengers, a humpback whale has been sighted in the distance. I would suggest moving to the starboard side for the best view. The group of passengers move per Hope’s suggestion and get a glimpse of a mother humpback whale with her calf swimming casually alongside. The whales hang around the boat for a while. A few more humpbacks can be seen breaching in the distance. Hope splits her time between watching the whales and watching Josie’s reaction down on the deck. Josie catches her watching her at one point and gives her a shy smile and a wave. Lizzie catches the exchange, “Seriously you two need to get a room already.”  
“Lizzie! Did you have to say that so loud?” Josie yells and throws her hands in the air.  
“No, but it was funny to see your reaction.” Lizzie chuckles.  
Hope turns her head to the side with a questioning look after seeing the exchange between the sisters.  
Josie looks up at Hope and shrugs her shoulders in response to the Captain’s quizzical look.  
Landon arrives at the bridge for his shift covering the helm. Hope heads down to the lower deck, on her way to the kitchen area for breakfast. She comes up behind the group of passengers but doesn’t announce she is there. She pauses a moment, watching Josie and her sister continue to bicker.  
“Lizzie, you really want to know what happened? Will you leave me alone about Hope if I tell you?”  
“I promise sis.”  
“She bandaged up my arm and we talked. Then I didn’t feel like going back to the beach. We took a walk to this small hill and watched the sunset. I asked her out and she said yes and we kissed. Happy now?” Josie says all of that so fast, Lizzie is barely able to catch all the words.  
“You kissed!?!” Lizzie gasps. “Why did you keep that a secret!? I am your sister, you should've told me last night!”  
“I didn’t have to tell you at all. I wanted to enjoy the moment, without everyone else’s opinions. It was the best first kiss I've had to be honest. I want to see where this goes with Hope and I don’t want anyone else to ruin it.”  
“That’s fair I guess.” Lizzie concedes.  
Hope clears her throat at that moment, alerting the twins to her presence.  
Josie and Lizzie turn around looking surprised that Hope is standing there.  
“Hello ladies. I was stopping by to see how everything is before I head down for breakfast. I just didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.” Hope smirks.  
Josie turns bright red and looks like she wants to be anywhere else in that moment.  
“Hi.. Hope. How much did you hear?”  
“Most of it. Just so you know, it was the best first kiss ever for me too.” Hope moves to pass the sisters and continues down the deck, whistling a happy tune.”

Josie groans but smiles. Hope heard everything she said, which was so embarrassing but she also said she enjoyed the kiss.  
“Josie you are so smitten with the sexy Captain.” Lizzie teases.  
“Yeah, yeah Lizzie. Stop talking before I have one of the guys throw you overboard.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises all around. Hope and Josie have fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this fic. I feel good about how it turned out. Thank you all for reading and your kind comments. Please enjoy this last chapter. It's super fluffy.

Landon is scheduled to be at the helm until around 5 pm. This allows Hope to check in with the rest of the crew, eat and take a nap before she has to be back up top.

Hope manages to nap until around 3 pm before she wakes up restless. She grabs her sketch pad and her mind wanders to the night before. After a while her page is filled with a rough outline of the overlook with the sun setting in the background. Two figures sat on the blanket she outlined. It is a good start for a pretty intricate piece. 

Looking at the clock, she realizes she needs to grab a quick shower before returning to the helm. After her shower Hope grabs a fresh Captain’s outfit from the wardrobe and grabs her hat off the door hook.   
Landon radios in, “Hey Captain, I know you aren’t supposed to be up here for another twenty minutes but we have an issue. Can you head up here now?”  
“What’s wrong Lan? I’ll be right up either way.”  
“It’s not a big problem, we will discuss it when you get here.”  
Hope leaves her quarters quickly with her thoughts going a mile a minute. She’s worrying about everything from the health of her crew and the passengers to a possible issue with her baby Eviligo.

She passes by the outdoor eating area and notices Josie isn’t with her friends. Lizzie smirks knowingly at the Captain as she walks by. Hope takes the stairs to the bridge two at a time. When she gets to the top she is surprised to see a little table set up with two place settings. Josie was sitting in one of the chairs and Landon was standing off to the side.

“Huh?” Hope looks from Landon to Josie.  
“Well Cap, the issue is that this fine young lady would like to have a dinner date with you but you weren’t here.”  
Hope still stands there a bit confused.  
“I will leave you two. Have fun.” Landon waves as he heads down the stairs.  
Josie stands up and walks over to Hope and reaches for her hand. She is wearing a light blue sundress with her hair cascading over her shoulders.  
“Surprise?”  
“Yeah I’m surprised. How did you manage all of this?”  
“I didn’t really. It was Maya and Lizzie. Maya got the crew to set this up and she made us a candlelit dinner.” Josie waves back to the table. “Lizzie pretty much kidnapped me and forced me into the emergency dress I had. Maya brought me up here a few minutes ago saying you needed to see me. I was just as surprised as you to see that they set us up this date. I’m not complaining now though. This is nice.” 

“This is sweet of them to set up but I still wanna kill them for disregarding our wishes.”   
Hope looks around the room before her eyes settle on Josie. Josie reaches out for Hope’s hand, “Would you like to have dinner with me?”  
“Of course I would.”  
Hope removes her hat and they sit down at the table. Josie tells Hope the salad course is waiting for them but Maya will be up with the main course and dinner shortly. 

Conversation comes easily, in between mouthfuls of grilled eggplant and portobello sandwiches. The sandwich is paired with a Mediterranean inspired zucchini boat. It is a delicious and filling meal. The meal is finished with baklava ice cream dessert. 

“Maya makes the best food I have ever had.” Josie almost moans at the taste of the scratch made baklava ice cream.  
“Yeah, she is the best chef we have on any yacht. She makes sure I am always fed, I tend to forget to eat sometimes.”  
“It’s so easy to forget to eat. You get so busy with work or life that sometimes meals aren’t a priority. There have been times I spend all day writing and I don’t realize I need to eat until late in the evening.”  
“Exactly, if I am not on a Charter trip, I am in the office doing paperwork or in company meetings. Unless someone reminds me to eat I don’t on the busy days until I get home.”

“Do you work long hours when you aren't Captaining? Josie questions.  
“Sometimes. Most days I don’t work more than 8 hours though. As much as I love our company, I refuse to spend all my time working. I have hobbies and friends that I enjoy spending time with too.”  
“What are your hobbies?” Josie tries imagining Hope on an off day.  
“I love art, I dabble mostly in painting and drawing. I also have a personal boat I can take to Wolf’s Bay when I want. I have a bungalow on the island away from all the public areas. I occasionally bring friends and we ride jet skis, paddle boards and what not. I love the outdoors. What about you?”  
“When I’m not working on my novel I play guitar and ukulele. I sing a bit too. I like reading and video games. I’m kind of a homebody but being outside is a nice change.”  
Josie takes Hope’s hand in hers over the table.  
“Even though this was a surprise date for both of us, I'm having a great time.”  
“Me too. I hope for our next date I can take you out.” Hope smiles at the brunette.  
“I didn’t even get to plan the one I asked you out on. That’s not fair.” Josie playfully pouts.  
“Here’s the deal then. I plan the next date, and you plan the one after. How does that sound?”  
“So we are already planning out the next two dates when we aren’t even done with the first?”  
“Yes, I am serious about wanting to see where this is going between us.”  
“I agree. I really like you Hope.”  
“I really like you too Jo.”  
Hope connects her phone to the portable speaker she brought. Music quietly plays in the background of the rest of their time together. Hope gives Josie the official tour of the bridge and Josie tells Hope all about her current novel. The evening casually grows to an end as Hope must return to work. 

They are standing at the railing on the small upper deck off the back of the bridge.  
“I’m sad we can't stay like this.” Hope relaxes back against Josie and the brunette hugs her tighter. Hope turns her head enough for Josie to lean forward and kiss her. The kiss is soft and sweet, the perfect end to their first date.

On the morning of the third and final day of the charter, Landon guides the ship back to Wolf’s Cay. This time he anchors the yacht in the calm bay on the north side of the island near Hope’s bungalow. Normally on the third day of the trip most passengers play or relax in the water around the yacht or hang out on the ship in the hot tub. The crew brings out inflatables and preps the company's two jet skis. The passengers receive another safety lecture and tutorial before they are allowed to use the machines.

Josie hangs back and looks around for any sign of Hope. She hasn’t seen her at all that morning. All during breakfast her sister and friends talked animatedly about the activities they get to do that day but Josie was distracted. She daydreamed about what it would be like if Hope was able to hang out and have fun with them that day.

Unbeknownst to the brunette Hope was thinking about the same thing earlier that morning. She was considering allowing Landon to Captain the final day of the trip, both to prove his capabilities and to allow Hope to relax and enjoy herself. She calls an early morning crew meeting to discuss her wishes.

“Hello everyone, I know we don’t normally have formal meetings during our trips but I have something to ask of you all. As you probably all know by now, passenger Josie and I are... involved.” Hope pauses.  
“For this reason, I feel as though Landon should take over as Captain for the remainder of the trip. Lan, you have more than proved yourself to be able to Captain this yacht. I am trusting you with my pride and joy.”  
Landon stands taller and nods. This is a very big deal for him.  
“I hope your respect for me as your Captain and as the future CEO of Mikaelson Charters remains intact with this choice. I do not think I could forgive myself if I decided to not pursue things with Josie. There is something special about her, and although we just met I feel in my heart this is the right decision. I will still be Captain on charters in the future. For now I feel it is a conflict to continue captaining this specific trip, given the circumstances. Thank you all for being great employees and a wonderful crew. I enjoy working with every single one of you.”

“Cap, we will support you every step of the way. I think I can speak for the rest of the crew when I say follow your heart and do what you need to do. I personally respect you even more for this decision.” Maya reaches an arm around her best friend's shoulder.

“Thank you for trusting me Hope. I won’t let you down.” Landon nods in agreement with Maya.

“Go spend time with your girl today Hope. We got the crew stuff. Enjoy yourself and relax.” Riley adds. 

The other crew members give their well wishes and approval. It is a big weight lifted off Hope’s shoulders. 

Josie gives up on finding Hope and heads to the bow of the yacht to meet her friends. MG and Lizzie are climbing onto one of the jet skis and Kaleb is lounging on a floating raft connected to the ship.   
“Sorry Jo, we were gonna wait for you but we didn’t know how long you would be.” MG says.  
“It’s okay. You two go for a ride, Lizzie and I can ride together later.” Josie sits down and dangles her feet off the edge of the yacht.

Lost in her own thoughts, she doesn’t notice someone sit down next to her. Hope waits a moment as to not startle the brunette.   
“Jo? Why the long face?”  
Josie shakes away her thoughts and looks at Hope. She didn’t expect her to be there let alone in a bikini top and board shorts instead of her uniform.  
“Hi. What are you doing here?”  
“I made a decision. I appointed Landon as Captain for the rest of the trip so I could spend the day with you and your friends. I’ve never given up full command before. It feels weird but in a good way. The crew gave me their blessings and told me to come find you.”  
“Everything with you has been a surprise so far, but I like it. I am happy you are here.” Hope takes Josie’s hand in hers.   
“Do you wanna go for a ride?” Hope nods to the remaining jet ski.  
“I really do.” Josie says excitedly.  
Hope laughs at the excitement and helps Josie up with her. They put on the life vests and Hope climbs onto the jet ski. Josie follows carefully as not to fall. Josie puts her arms around Hope’s waist and rests her head on the shorter woman’s shoulder. She leans forward to kiss Hope on the cheek. “Show me what you got.”

Hope smirks. She starts out slow to get used to the light waves of the bay. Soon enough she's speeding around the bay and circling Lizzie and MG’s jet ski. The group messes around for a while, racing and out maneuvering each other. MG and Lizzie head back to the yacht to relax on the rafts with Kaleb.

Hope and Josie float on the jet ski in the bay talking about schedules and when their next date could be. Hope wouldn’t be free until the following Friday if they wanted to go out for dinner. Josie frowns not wanting to wait a week to see Hope next.

“Would you be able to do breakfast or brunch on a sooner day?” Josie asks.  
“I could probably go in after noon on Tuesday, I am sure my Aunt Freya wouldn’t mind. How does that sound?”   
“I can do Tuesday. There is this cute little cafe by the marina I want to try. I think it's called Sidewinder cafe.”  
Hope laughs loudly at the suggestion.  
“What’s so funny?”  
“It's just that my Aunt Keelin owns that cafe. Not many people know that. It's just a small world is all. In that case though, my Aunt’s definitely won’t care that I go in late. They may want to meet you actually. If that's okay I mean? I don’t want to rush you into that if you aren’t ready.”  
Josie looks at Hope and grins. “Of course someone in your family owns that. The cafe gets great reviews. You Mikaelson’s are something else, running businesses is in your blood. I’d love to meet your aunts Hope.”

Hope kisses Josie, and the brunette immediately deepens the kiss. When they finally break apart for air, Hope asks another question.  
“I know this is fast, like really fast and you can say no but will you be my girlfriend Josie?” Hope holds her breath waiting for a response

“Yes, Hope I will.” Josie recaptures Hope’s lips and kisses her passionately.   
They eventually drive back to the yacht and begin packing everything up.   
Captain Landon makes the announcement that it's time to head back to the marina and begins the 2 hour trek. Hope and Josie enjoy dinner with her sister and friends before finishing out the trip relaxing in the on deck hot tub. 

Josie and Hope keep getting lost in their own world causing Lizzie to tell them to get a room multiple times. Josie just rolls her eyes and lets it go. This is the best vacation she's ever had thanks to her new girlfriend. 

Hope and Josie deboard the yacht hand in hand, ready to take any journey this relationship sends them on.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. I had to research a lot about yachts for this. Curse my fanfic ideas with content that I know nothing about. Lol


End file.
